Henry Rollins: The Column! Alice Bag's Punk Rock Legacy

Henry Rollins: The Column! Alice Bag's  Punk Rock Legacy

By Henry Rollins Thu., Nov. 17 2011 at 5:00 AM

And then there's the music. The Dangerhouse compilations -- where you can hear The Bags, albums by X, Germs, Weirdos and Black Randy -- are excellent source material. These were true artistic misfits at work, and their being able to pull this music out of the ether makes it all the more compelling to listen to these songs.

Los Angeles, then and now, has always been full of people who come from elsewhere to make it happen. For that reason, there are always different influences in any artistically and creatively driven scene. The early L.A. punk scene benefited hugely from that. Many of the bands made elaborate costumes for shows, they turned gigs into events, they took it to the streets, they smashed the status quo to pieces. It was obviously much more than just music and just being in a band.

These bands, these people, they make a lot of other scenes seem lightweight, almost timid. It was one memorable and lasting bang. Nice one, Alice.

Tags:

Alice Bag, Henry Rollins, Violence Girl

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Jenny Lens

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. Your words in LA Weekly came at a vital point in my life. My INTENTION was to "capture the scene so perfectly." AND to keep the scene, the ppl, the music, ALIVE for many years to come. To inspire and document. I wish my "Punk Pioneers" editor hadn't sliced the heart and soul out of my captions and text. Alice Bag and I shared a lot of great times ... I have so very many photos of her ... Whatta a time it was! Thanks again, Henry. Your words and recommendation really help keep my archive alive. I have tens of thousands of amazing photos ... which remain in locked cabinets. I much rather more get into the world ... My best to you. Namaste ;-) ♥♥♥ ACE photog, Jenny Lens, whom Patti Smith called "the girl with the camera eye." I do this for everyone's enjoyment, not my ego. .. thanks all, very much!!!

Jennie Vasquez

Sounds like a good book and something I need to pick up. What an amazing woman. I read up some more on her and for her to go to school then use her talents to become a teacher to young people is equally if not even more impressive than her experiences in early punk. What an awesome experience it must be for those that have had her as a teacher. I'm sure she has had a significant impact on many of them. The best teachers are always the ones with a wide variety of life experiences and they are usually the ones who inspire us to be better people. Really looking forward to reading the book.